As of 2017, 3.7 billion people used email – this is a huge number of potential customers to reach out to. It’s vital to have the best possible email marketing strategy to help you make the most of the opportunity that email provides.
So how can you do it right? Here are a few tips:
Manage Your Contacts
It’s important to keep on top of your contacts. It’s much easier to send targeted emails if you have a well-organised contact list: consider segmenting your contacts by certain criteria, so you can send emails that really appeal to them specifically. Hopefully, this should reduce the number of people who unsubscribe from your emails.
This matters because of sender reputation: the score that signals to email providers if you’re sending spam emails or not. You don’t want your emails ending up in people’s spam folders, so keeping your reputation score high is key. Clearing out old, unused email addresses can also help to keep your score healthy.
Provide Your Subscribers with Great Content
You may want to let your subscribers know the latest news from your company – but try to see it from their perspective. People want to read interesting, useful, and practical content, and they’re unlikely to read boring news bulletins. Think about the way you write the emails – are they interesting? Funny? Unique? Do they have a list of actionable points for your readers? Are you including a money off voucher?
Choose Your Design Wisely
A well-designed email template can make a huge difference. If your emails are too cluttered and busy, your subscribers are likely to click off for fear of headaches. It’s better to keep it simple, with a few standout details to make it memorable – for example, you could match the colour scheme of the email to the colours in your logo, tying the branding together and making the email recognisable as being from your company. Don’t forget to include images, too – there are great websites out there that have thousands of high-quality stock photos to choose from.
Don’t forget to check how your emails look on mobile devices, too – this is a key point, as many people read their emails on their phones.
Make Your Subject Line Sing
Ah, the subject line. This can really make the difference between whether your email is opened or goes unread. Try looking for ‘power words’ online – certain phrases, like ‘limited edition’ and ‘exclusive’ are more likely to lead to email opens. Try and exploit the ‘curiosity gap’ – perhaps pose a question or make a bold statement that will make your readers want to know more.
Don’t Forget Your Call-to-Action
Give your readers something to do when they reach the end of your email. If you want them to click on a link, make it highly visible. If you want them to share the email on social media, make sure you add social media buttons. Give your readers some way to respond to you.